Washers for electrostatic precipitators



March 6, 1956 R, w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1955 4'Sheets-Sheet l IJYQA i l: I

March 6, 1956 R, w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 2 I'zvenifofl: RqyWWmm' iow, 6 W .7. wa er:

R. w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS March 6, 1 956 4 Sheets-Shet 3Filed Dec. 1, 1955 March 6, 1956 R. w. WARBURTON 2,737,257

WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent WASHERS FOR ELECTROSTATICPRECIPITATORS Ray W. Warburton, Medfield, Mass., assignor toWestinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation ofPennsylvania Application December 1, 1953, Serial No. 395,544

4 Claims. (Cl. 1837) This invention relates to washers for the ionizerand collector electrodes of electrostatic precipitators.

The electrostatic precipitators most generally used for removing dustfrom air, consist of upstream ionizers having wire and tube electrodes,and downstream collector cells having closely spaced collector plates.After a period of operation the ionizer and collector electrodes becomecoated with collected matter so that it is the practice to wash theelectrodes with a water spray, and then to spray adhesive upon theelectrodes for aiding them to retain the collected matter.

This invention provides a simple, inexpensive washer having a verticallyextending header assembly comprising two header tubes, each equippedwith nozzles, one who being provided for supplying water tobe sprayedupon the electrodes, and the other tube being provided for supplyingadhesive to be sprayed upon the electrodes. The two tubes and theirnozzles are so arranged that all of the nozzles extend in verticalalignment. The header assembly is supported on rollers which ride upon ahorizontally extending track attached to the front ofthe frame of theprecipitator, and is caused to move back and forth across the face ofthe precipitator by a light cable which pulls both the top and bottom ofthe header assembly in such a manner that vertical alignment isprovided.

A feature of this invention is that the spray header assembly is movableacross the full face of the precipitator without requiring dead spacesfor the location of the end pulleys which are required for the cable.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive washerfor the electrodes of an electrostatic precipitator.

Another object of this invention is to reduce the space required for awasher for an electrostatic precipitator.

This invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, ofwhich:

Fig. l is an isometric view of an electrostatic precipitator embodyingthis invention, the ionizer and collector electrodes being removed;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail showing the cable driving motor mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the header assembly and itssupports and drive;

Fig. 4 is a projected, diagrammatic view showing the relation of theheader assembly to the drive pulleys and cable;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing an end position of the headerassembly;

Fig. 6 is a section through the header assembly and one of the cableclamps attached thereto;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, in section, of the header assembly showingthe inner tubes and a portion of the hoses attached thereto;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the lines 88 of Fig. 7;

.Fig. 9 is a sectional view along the lines 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a partial elevation of a simplified header assembly, it beingseen from the nozzle side, and

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of Fig. 10.

Fig. l of the drawingsillustrates a frame 10 having openings 11 forreceiving four vertical rows and four horizontal rows of collectorcells. The cells and their ionizers are not illustrated since they formno part of the present invention. In the frame illustrated, some of thecell openings are larger than others for receiving larger cells.

The frame 10 has a horizontally extending track 14 formed from aninverted U-shaped plate having inturned lower ends on which the rollers15 ride. The track is supported from the frame by the outer, invertedU-shaped plate 16 and the supports 17 and 18. Supported from a commonshaft between the rollers 15 is a bolt 19 which is attached-to a bracket19 attached to the outer pipe 21.

The frame has a lower, inverted U-shaped guide rail 22 attached theretoby the supports 23 and 24. The guide roller 25 is attached by the plate26 to the lower end of the outer pipe 21, and normally is positionedmidway between but closely adjacent the legs of the guide rail 22.

The' pulleys 27 are rotatably mounted on the shafts 28 which aresupported from the plate 16 at the opposite ends of the track 14. Thepulleys 29 and 30 are rotatably' mounted on a shaft which is supportedby the member 32 from the guide rail support 24.

The pipe 21 has a cable clamp 34 attached thereto by the bolt 47, justabove a line interconnecting the tops of the horizontally alignedpulleys 27, and has a similar cable clamp 35 attached thereto by a bolt47' just below a line interconnecting the tops of the horizontallyaligned pulleys 29.

Arr electric motor 36 mounted on the outside of one vertical side of theframe 10', drives, through the gear box 37, a pulley 38 which isrotatably mounted on the inner side of the said vertical frame side. Thepulleys 39 and 40 are rotatably mounted on the outer ends of thepulley-supports 41 and 42 respectively, the inner ends of which arepivoted to the gear box 37.

The cable 44 is threaded around the pulleys 27, 29, 30, 38, 39 and 40and the cable clamps 34 and 35. The cable is wrapped completely aroundthe clamps 34 and 35 on the header pipe 21. The cable is clamped to theclamp 34 by the circular plate 45 which is tightened against the cableby the nut 46 on the bolt 47. The cable is clamped to the lower clamp 35in a similar manner.

A limit and reversing switch 50 is mounted on the right side of thetrack support 18 and is operated by a pin 51 (Fig. 3) attached to theheader pipe 21, when the latter reaches the end of its travel at theright side of Fig. 1. A similar switch 50' is mounted on the left sideof the track support 18.

The outer pipe 21 contains a water supply tube 51 and an adhesive supplytube 52, having the spray nozzles 53 and 54 respectively. There are twowater spray nozzles 53 for each collector cell, with an adhesive spraynozzle 54 therebetween. In order that all of the spray nozzles extend invertical alignment the tube 52 is bent back and forth as illustrated byFig. 7.

Due to the cable 44 being completely wrapped around the cable clamps 34and 35 on the header pipe 21, the pipe 21 can be moved past the endpulleys 27 and 29 as illustrated by Fig. 5. In prior washers of thisgeneral type, the end pulleys had to be located in otherwise unusedspaces beyond the outer ends of the end collector cells in order for theend areas of the end cells to be sprayed with liquid. This required alarger and more expensive enclosure than is required by a precipitatorembodying this invention.

Since the cable 44 reverses its direction at the bottom pulleys 30, itis caused to change its direction to that at the top pass by beingthreaded over the reversing pulleys 29. Thus, the cable at the lowercable clamp 35 moves in the same direction as at the upper cable clamp34 so that the header assembly is moved in vertical alignment.

Figs. and 11 show a simpler and preferred form of header construction.The water tube 60 is much larger than the adhesive tube 61, has therollers 15 attached thereto'by the bracket 19, has the roller attachedthereto by the plate 26, and has the cable clamps 34 and 35 attachedthereto.

In operation, when the collector and ionizer electrodes requirecleaning, an operator after shutting off the fan and power pack, wouldstart the water pump and the motor 36. The motor would then, through thepulleys 38, 39, 40, 27, 29 and 30, rotate the cable 44 which, throughits connection to the top and bottom portions of the header by theclamps 34 and 35, would move the header assembly from the left side ofthe precipitator to its right side. When the header assembly reaches theright side of the precipitator, it trips the limit and-reversal switch50 at that side, which reverses the motor causing it to rotate the cablein the opposite direction and causing it to move the header assemblyback to the right side of the precipitator. During this time the spraynozzles 53 would be spraying water upon the ionizer and collectorelectrodes. At the end of two or more cleaning passes, the operatorwould stop the motor 36 and the pump motor. Then, after waiting asufiicient period of time for the electrodes to dry, the operator wouldstart the adhesive pump motor and would again start the motor 36. Theheader assembly would again be moved back and forth by the cable acrossthe face of the precipitator while the adhesive spray nozzles 54 sprayadhesive upon the electrodes.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purposeof illustration, it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to the exact apparatus and arrangement of apparatus illustratedand described, since modifications thereof may be suggested by thoseskilled in the art, without departure from the essence of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A washer for an electrostatic precipitator having a frame, ahorizontally extending track supported from said frame, a verticallyextending header assembly, a roller on said track rotatably supportedfrom said assembly adjacent the upper end thereof, a horizontallyextending guide attached to said frame below said track, a rolleradjacent said guide rotatably attached to said assembly adjacent theother end thereof, pulleys at the ends of said track and guide, upperand lower cable clamps rotatably attached to said assembly adjacent saidupper and lower ends thereof, a cable threaded around said pulleys andwrapped completely around said clamps, a plurality of nozzles extendingfrom said assembly towards said frame, and means for rotating said cablefor moving said assembly.

2. A washer as claimed in claim 1 in which the cable clamps arecircular, in which the upper clamp is supported above the pulleys at theends of the track, and in which the lower clamp is supported above thepulleys at the ends of the guide.

3. A washer as claimed in claim 2 in which the header assembly comprisestwo tubes, one for water and the other for an adhesive, in which aplurality of nozzles are connected to each of the tubes and extendtowards the frame, and in which the tubes are so arranged that thenozzles extend in vertical alignment.

4. A washer as claimed in claim 1 in which the header assembly comprisestwo tubes, one for water and the other for an adhesive, in which aplurality of nozzles are connected to the tubes and extend towards theframe, and in which the tubes are so arranged that the nozzles extend invertical alignment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS998,579 Herz July 18, 1911 2,333,551 Pegg Nov. 2, 1943 2,591,404 CarlsonApr. 1, 1952

